The Houghton Philharmonia is a flexible group of 50-60 orchestral musicians, including strings, winds, and percussion. Both music majors and non-music majors participate in these ensembles, supplemented at times by players from the College communities. Student membership is open; seating assignments are made based a low-pressure audition. Several orchestral concerts are presented each year in the John and Charles Wesley Chapel on the Houghton College campus.

Prospective students: Are you planning to visit the Houghton College campus? If so, we invite you to visit a Philharmonia rehearsal during your stay. Please e-mail us for details.

The orchestra reads, rehearses, and performs repertoire from all the major musical eras—works of Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Post-Romantic, and later Twentieth-Century masters, including music by living composers. Throughout the year, the Graduate Assistant Conductor and Music Director also collaborate with players in a series of repertory reading sessions designed to expose students to further significant, high-quality orchestral music.

A typical week in the life of the orchestra includes three and one-half hours of rehearsal (Tuesday late afternoons and Thursday evenings) with the full orchestra. An additional half-hour per week is reserved for chamber and sectional rehearsals, as dictated by programming. Prayer times and shared devotional thoughts are regular features of rehearsals, as well.

The upcoming 2008-2009 season holds great promise with the addition of talented new players. The concert season will include three full concerts, a concert shared with Houghton’s Chamber Singers and Symphonic Winds ensembles, contributions to the second annual Christmas Prism event, and additional performance opportunities for chamber groups. This season will also involve a soloist competition for sophomores, juniors, and seniors; the winner(s) will be offered a performance opportunity in the spring semester. Dr. Anton Machleder, Houghton’s guitar professor, will be featured as a soloist in the year-end concert in April.

The Houghton Philharmonia is under the direction of Brian Casey (BA, Harding University; MM, University of Delaware; DA, University of Northern Colorado). Dr. Casey also teaches Conducting, Aural Skills, and Horn, as well as advising and teaching graduate conductors and coordinating woodwind chamber music programming.

Email the Music Director, Brian Casey

Dr. Casey’s Bio

Extended Professional Info Page

ASSISTANT AND GUEST CONDUCTORS

This year’s Graduate Assistant Conductor is Heather Wilson. Plans also call for junior music major Jonathan Vogan, Symphonic Winds director Prof. Gary Stith, and Director of Choral Activities Dr. Brandon Johnson to conduct the orchestra this year.
CONCERT CALENDAR

Below is the Philharmonia performance calendar for 2008-2009:

Friday, October 10, 2008
8:00 P.M.
John and Charles Wesley Chapel
Movements and Motions—Walking with Masters

Friday, November 7, 2008
Music Opportunities Weekend
8:00 P.M.
John and Charles Wesley Chapel
Joint Concert—Philharmonia, Chamber Singers, and Symphonic Winds

Saturday, November 8, 2008
Music Opportunities Weekend
11:00 A.M.
Recital Hall
Chamber Ensembles
Friday-Saturday, December 5-6, 2008
8:00 P.M.
John and Charles Wesley Chapel
2nd Annual Christmas Prism—gala dramatic-musical-liturgical event

Friday, February 18, 2009
8:00 P.M.
John and Charles Wesley Chapel
Scandinavia and Soloists
(featuring competition winners)

Friday, Apr. 17, 2009
8:00 P.M.
John and Charles Wesley Chapel
Spain and the Guitar
(featuring Dr. Anton Machleder, guitar)

SEASON REPERTOIRE

The October 10 concert program, Movements and Motions—Walking with Masters, will open the season with the following captivating musical offerings:

*Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D (selected movements)
*Haydn: Symphony No. 94 (“Surprise”) (2nd movement)
*Strauss, J: Perpetuum Mobile
*Schubert: Unfinished Symphony (1st movement)—Heather Wilson, conducting

*Adams: The Chairman Dances (Fox Trot for Orchestra)
*Shostakovich: Symphony No. 5 (2nd movement)—Jonathan Vogan, conducting
*Beethoven: Symphony No. 5 (4th movement)

Although somewhat unconventional, the extraction of movements from core symphonic works allows for greater breadth of exposure to repertoire and is sure to lead to the delight of audiences and players alike. Imagine hearing Bach, Haydn, Schubert, Shostakovich, and Beethoven all in one concert! The motions aspect—an emphasis on rhythm—is revealed particularly in the Haydn excerpt, the Strauss, and the modern John Adams piece, which in sections is minimalistic.

Other repertoire under consideration for this season includes the following:

*Corigliano: Fern Hill (with chorus)
*de Falla: Ritual Fire Dance
*Menotti: Amahl and the Night Visitors (excerpts)
*Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
*Respighi: “L’Adorazione dei Magi” from Three Botticelli Pictures
*Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez (Dr. Anton Machleder, guitar)
*Sibelius: Finlandia
*Smetana: The Moldau
*Sor: Marche Funebre sur la Mort de l’Empereur Alexandre
*Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite
*Tveitt: Hardanger Tunes
. . . plus movements from concerti and arias performed by competition winners!
CHAMBER MUSIC

The Chamber Orchestra is a smaller group of string, wind, and percussion players selected from within the Philharmonia. This season, it is anticipated that Chamber Orchestra musicians will perform one or two works separately.

Throughout the year, collaborating on chamber music programming at the Greatbatch School are Donna Lorenzo, Director of Strings and String Chamber Music; Paul DeBoer, Professor of Brass Instruments and director of the Houghton Brass Ensemble and Trumpet Ensemble; Gary Stith, Coordinator of Music Education and Director of Symphonic Winds; Brian Casey, Director of Orchestral Activities and Coordinator of Woodwind Chamber Music; and all the studio teachers and gifted student musicians.

APPLIED MUSIC FACULTY

The string faculty at Houghton College consists of Donna Lorenzo, viola and violin and Director of Strings (BM Houghton; MM, Juilliard School of Music; DMA, Eastman School of Music), Rintaro Wada, cello (MM, Eastman, part-time), Brett Shurtliffe, double bass (MM, Duquesne University), Nan Richmond, harp (DMA, Eastman, part-time), and Anton Machleder, guitar (DMA, Eastman, part-time).

* For information on string scholarship auditions and applied study, please e-mail Dr. Lorenzo.

Houghton’s wind and percussion faculty consists of Euridice Alvarez, oboe (DMA candidate, Eastman); Brian Casey, horn; Paul DeBoer, trumpet, trombone, and euphonium (DMus, Indiana University); Chisato Eda, saxophone (DMA, Eastman); Ernest Lascell, clarinet (MM, Northwestern); Abe Weiss, bassoon; and Jim Tiller, percussion (MM, Eastman).